Launching device.



J. AJOHNSON .& J. W. LUDLAM.

' LAUNGHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.21, 1913.

1 1 1 1 ,836. 1931119111611-sept.A 29, 1914.

/.77.. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- 1 1 y 6B @fg/M www M wm,

llll.' Nunms Prime; 1:0.. llwru-LIIHU., WA HlNciloN, n, fr,

J. A. JOHNSON L J. W. LUDLAM.

LAUNGHING DEVICE. v

APPLICATION FILED MAR 21, 191s.

1, 1 1 1,836. Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

JOI-IN ALBERT JOHNSON AND JOSEPH W. LUDLAM, OF OAKLAND, GALIFORNIA.

LAUNCHING- DEVICE.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN ALBERT JOHN- sonT and Josnrn W. LUDLAM, citizens of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Launching Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a device for launching life boats and has as its principal object, to produce a device which shall have increased reliability and convenience over those now in use.

A second object of our invention is to design an apparatus from which two or more boats can be quickly and easily lowered from one set of davits.

A third object is to design a set of davits which will take up a minimum amount of space.

A final object resides in the particular arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described. i

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevational view yin section of the boat deck of a steamer or other large vessel showing our improved launching device installed thereon. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of Fig. 1.

In the separate views the same part is designated by the same reference character.

Referring more particularlyy to the draw ings, 1 represents the sides of the vessel having a boat deck` 9.. According to our invention, we provide a pair of rails 3 which are fastened on top of said deck and extend from a point somewhat removed from the side of the ship out to the side and down the side for a distance depending upon the number of boats intended to be handled from one set of davits. A s best shown in F ig. 2, the rails 3 3 are spaced aparta distance somewhat less than the length of the life boat intended to be used therewith.

Mounted on the rails 3 3 are shown a plurality of trucks 4 of which we may use one or more according to circumstances. Each truck 4c is made in two parts such as 5 5. Each part 5 is provided with a pair of wheels such as 6 at each end. The parts `5 are spaced apart as shown at 7` thereby Iproviding space in which the keel 15 of the life boat 1ln may rest, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and the two adjacent wheels 6 of adjoining parts 5 are connected by a short link as shown at 8 which unites the two parts firmly together. It will be understood Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 21, 1913.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

Serial No. 755,895.

that the links 8 are pivoted to the shafts of the wheels 6 so that the parts 5 nay turn relatively one to the other.`

As is best shown in Fig. 2, each half of a truck comprises two horizontal parallel bars to which the wheels 6 are attached, and the bars of each part 5 are connected by a cross board such as 9. It will be seen moreover that each truck l is pivotally connected to the one adjoining by links 10, somewhat similar to but longer than the links 8.

As appears in both Figs. 1 and Q., the inboard end of each truck has a pair ofshallow hooks 11 11 which engage the gunwale of thelife boatto prevent it from tilting in the out board direction. It will be seen moreover that each iii-board portion 5 of each truck carries a pair of blocks 12--12 which are shaped to conform to the under surface of the boat `carried bythe trucks, and which will keep the boat from tipping in the inboard direction. These blocks 12 are hinged and can fold down onto the cross members 9 if so desired. i j

At the in-board end of the tracks 8 are placed two standards such as 13. Mounted between these standards 13 is a hand winch 18, provided with two handles 19 at each end of a common shaft `50. Each side of said winch is provided'with a drive wheel 21 on 4a common sha-ft tlwith drive gear 21a. Each of said drive wheels is adapted to positively engage and drive one of the` pairs of endless chains such as which run inside of the track members closely par allel thereto.

At the outwboard end each chain runs over a sprocket such as `The incoming and outgoing parts of the chains 29 are properly guided to driving pulleys 21 by means of idler pulleys 24 mounted on the brackets 1?. As best appears in Fig. 1, the in-board path 5 on the in-board truck is provided with. a bracket 25 which may be Y-shaped and which connects the rear truck with the driving chain.

As appears in F ig. l, the tracks 3 of the I-shaped cross section and each truck l is provided with one or more lugs 26 which extend downwardly and are hooked at their lower ends so as to project beneath the upper flange ofthe tracks 3.

Pivoted near the edge of the deck are two davit members 27 27 `which are mounted so as to swing in planes transverse tothe longitudinal aXis of the vessel, or in other words, parallel to the tracks. j The pivoted iio Qta 1,111,836

members 27 are connected at the top by a cross -rod 28. lt will be seen from Fig. 2 that the members 27 y are spaced apart some.- what more than the length of the boat to be handled. rlhe boats 1a are provided with eyes at each end which are engaged by hooks carried by blocks which comprise part of the usual boat raising tackle 29, the rope of which is fastened to the davits at 30. 7e provide two sets of tackle such as 31 which are also hooked to the cross bar 28 and run back to apoint lof attachment iii-board of the winches as shown at 32, which may be carried by a deck house. Tackles 81 are normally tensioned to hold the davits 27 back against the brace plugs 33 which permit the davits to incline in board only to a slight extent.

When it is desired to lower a boat, it is first filled with the persons desiring to get awayA in it and the Winches 18 are operated causing the chains 22 to moveforward, taking with them the trucks l and the boat 14, by reason of the connection between chains 22' and members 25 previously mentioned.

When the center of the out-board boat 14 is about under the bar 28, the tackle 31 is let loose by men stationed at each end, and the davits 27 allowed to assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will be l apparent that the tracks 3 are extended beyond the davits 27 so that the davits will be pulled outwardly beyond their vertical position by 'the travel of the boat on the track. At the time, however, when the davits pass their vertical position, the outward half 5 of the first truck will begin to round the curve of the rails 3v over the side of the vessel, thus releasing the keel of the life boat and permitting the same to swing free. Since the level of the boat` is slightly lower when suspended than when riding on the trucks, it will drop free of the hooks 11-11 but these hooks prevent the boat from tipping outwardly until it is in such a position as to swing on a level keel.

Vhen the boat is swung free the ropes of tackles 31 are made fast and the boat lowered by means of the usual tackles 29. While the first boat is being lowered, another one may be run into place and be filled by people. By the time the first boat is lowered the tackle 29 is attached to the second boat and the davits 27 brought back to their original position. Should the size of the vessel and the width of the deck of the same permit, three or four life boats may thus be placed parallel to each other and be lowered one after the other without any waste of time between the lowering of each. It is obvious thatthe greater the number of boats thus placed the greater must be the length of the tracks or rails 3 over the side of the ship.

Should the ship be listed to one side, the davits may be lowered to a correspondingly greater angle than that shown, in order that the life boats may clear the ship and strike the water clear of the same.

lt will be seen that we have invented an apparatus which is particularly adapted to lowering life boats from the upper or boat decks of large vessels, but that it is not limited to such use. lt will also be clear that we have done away with the present cumbersome method of lowering life boats. to wit: raising the boat, see-sawing the ends thereof between the ends of the davits, reversing said davits, lowering said boat to the level of the deck to get the people on board, and finally lowering said boat to the water. Moreover, the usual davits can be used only with one boat.

It will be understood that while we have shown and described the preferred form of our invention various modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention, and that we contemplate all such as are mechanically equivalent to the mechanism shown and described herein.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is l. A boat handling mechanism comprising in combination, a track mounted on the deck of a ship and extending from a point in-board to the edge of said deck and then down the side of the vessel for a substantial distance, said track being extended outward from the edge of the vessel at the level of the track and then bending inwardly in its downwardly extending portion, and a train mounted on said track, said train comprising a plurality of trucks pivotally linked together, and means for retaining said trucks on said tracks when they are lowered over the side of the vessel.

2. A boat handling mechanism comprising in combination, a track extending from a point in-board of the vessel to the edge thereof and thence down the side thereof a substantial distance, and a train adapted to travel on said tracks, said train comprising a plurality of trucks for supporting boats, said trucks being pivotally linked, the one to the other, and driving means attached to the in-board end of said train whereby said train except the in-board end thereof, may be run down the side of the vessel.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ALBERT JOHNSON. JOSEPH W. LUDLAM.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. CARTER, F. P. Soi-monnaie.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

